Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.